Archive | Architecture

My family can tell you I was as excited as a schoolgirl at Build-a-Bear when I saw the drawings for the planned Ash Brokerage headquarters in downtown Fort Wayne. This. Is. TREMENDOUS. What a fantastic looking building for our city.

But as I studied the building yesterday, I came across some disgruntled comments about it, and they were more than just complaints about Cindy’s Diner. (Note: Cindy’s current location is not original, and all involved parties want to find it a new home.) Some people didn’t like the modern look; some didn’t like the sheer size of it.

Let me try to lay some fears to rest. There are three tangible ways this structure will help connect downtown.

It connects to the structures of downtown

I’ve heard commenters say that this doesn’t match the historic nature of downtown Fort Wayne. And it certainly doesn’t look like the Star Bank building or Lincoln Tower to the east, or the block of buildings across Wayne Street.

But downtown Fort Wayne is not in any way a uniformly historic-looking downtown. Right across Berry Street from the Ash HQ is the modern looking Metro building. One block away is the second-tallest building, PNC Bank, and not far is One Summit Square, both of which are strikingly modern. This new structure complements them handsomely.

Besides, good design isn’t always about matching. Often, it’s about mixing. Contrast is a great design tool, whether we’re talking about typefaces, colors, or buildings. Historic and contemporary can live very comfortably side by side as long as the next point is taken into account.

It connects to the sidewalks of downtown

I think a lot of people have been turned off by modern architecture because of some of our unfortunate “starchitects” who forgot about relating the building to the street and pedestrian. But that’s not the fault of a modern design.

David Sucher, author of “City Comforts,” identifies the Three Rules for Urban Design; that is, the elements that mark an urban design versus a suburban one. It’s all in the site plan:

Build to the sidewalk (i.e., property line).

Make the building front “permeable” (i.e., no blank walls).

Prohibit parking lots in front of the building.

Look at the sketch of the building above. Just like a great urban building of the early 20th century, this early 21st century one is friendly to pedestrians. The retail filling most of the first floor softens what could have been a foreboding blank steel wall. We citizens of Fort Wayne will rarely get to see the building from the angle seen above, but most of us will walk by it. It’s much friendlier than a parking lot.

It connects to the space of downtown

Currently, the parts of downtown west of this spot — including the library, the Ferguson Building at Berry and Ewing, and the soon-to-be University of Saint Francis downtown campus — can feel a little isolated from the rest of downtown. That’s partly because of how large surface parking lots dampen pedestrian traffic.

Consider how successful Lunch on the Square at the corner of Calhoun and Wayne is, and then consider how far you have to walk to find surface parking from there. The parking garages lacking first-floor retail or office space aren’t helping, but there is no huge block-sized surface parking within a few blocks.

But this is one of the greatest gifts of this project: It fills a hole in our downtown. It connects the areas to its west and east, and to its north and south. Downtown will feel more “whole” and will feel even larger, in a wonderful way.

This is big news for downtown Fort Wayne, and not just for the developers. It’s big news for all of us who call this city home. A thriving downtown is the nucleus of a city, and this only strengthens our core. Great job, Ash Brokerage, for investing in downtown, and in all of us.

A recent Atlantic Cities piece written by Kaid Benfield, “What Developers Get Wrong About Smart Growth,” profiles cities that have made a commendable effort to include public green space in and around adjacent urban infill projects, presumably completed by private developers.

As mentioned in the article, typical infill projects exist on such tight sites that every square foot is maximized for enclosed living spaces. Exterior park-like retreats are rarely prioritized high enough to be included in the project.

First, I contend that we — as private owners/clients and design and construction professionals — need to broaden our definition of “mixed use” and include public and/or private outdoor spaces as one of the most critical program elements right from the earliest design stages. Humans possess a primal need to connect with nature, and any initiative to encourage citizens to relocate to downtown live/work spaces should strive to include access to nature or “green” space.

Secondly, we should ask how we can better use our public park properties to supplement our urban environments.

This is not conceptual! This article poses a tangible challenge to all who believe in and desire to advance market-driven urbanism.

The American Institute of Architects ranks Columbus as the sixth city in the nation for architectural innovation and design? (The ones listed 1-5 are: Chicago, New York, Boston, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.)

and this:

What every comprehensive planning and design exercise that has guided the development of Columbus — from its civic buildings, to its health and senior care facilities, to its commercial and retail facilities, to its streetscape and public art for the last 40 years has contained physical design guidelines and the drawings and models to communicate their recommendations.These provide everyone with a vision of what might be. They serve as “talk pieces” to foster public discussion, debate and consensus building. More important, paraphrasing the great architect and planner, Daniel Burnham, who said about his plan for Chicago, “They need to stir men’s soul.” I might add, “women, children, investors, developers and retirees.”

BLOOMINGTON — A task force appointed by Bloomington’s mayor is going to consider steps other than his proposed ban on new chain stores and restaurants to protect the character of the city’s downtown. …

Mayor Mark Kruzan asked task force members in September to start considering chain store restrictions. He has said he wants to protect areas with distinctive business identities.

How can a ban on certain kinds of business ownership save a downtown? Even the most traditional downtowns of the 1950s had chain stores like G.C. Murphy’s and Walgreens.

It doesn’t matter who owns the store. It matter where the store is located on the site plan. Because nowadays, big chains such as Subway and Starbucks can easily meet these urban standards. The problems arise when stores in an urban area ignore the simple steps above that would make any building a compliment.

Here is the press release sent out by the City of Fort Wayne this morning:

DOWNTOWN SURVEY RESULTS SHOW PUBLIC PREFERENCE FOR DURABLE DESIGN

Input from nearly 700 people to help create Downtown Design Manual

Fort Wayne, Ind. – Fort Wayne residents have once again expressed support for thoughtful design in downtown Fort Wayne through the downtown design survey earlier this fall. An internal team and an advisory group will use the survey’s information as they create a Downtown Design Manual by early next year.

“Engaging the public in the revision process is a critical element to ensure that we are planning with people, not for them,” Mayor Tom Henry said. “We received an outstanding response from the public and will use this information as we shape policy that will leave a lasting legacy for our downtown and entire community.”

Respondents expressed a decided preference for an appealing pedestrian experience in downtown, particularly for anything that includes landscaping, planters and greenery. Other preferences included the use of durable materials such as brick and stone, street-level windows, lower ground-mounted signage and wide, unobstructed sidewalks.

“Fort Wayne residents consistently tell us they care about how their city looks,” said Community Development Director John Urbahns. “Information from this survey as well as the input from the comprehensive plan process and the Downtown Blueprint points to how people value and appreciate the aesthetic experience of public spaces.”

The City will use the survey and information from the internal team and advisory group to create a Downtown Design Manual. The existing Downtown Design Guidelines is an advisory document that provides general recommendations. The new manual will continue to have recommendations but may include required elements that would be incorporated into a zoning ordinance amendment, which would need City Council approval. Required elements would need to be quantifiable and not based on a specific taste or style. Once complete, the draft design manual will be made available for public review and comment.

“One of the things that makes downtown Fort Wayne an interesting place is the variety of styles: the Allen County Courthouse, One Summit Square, the Lincoln Tower and the Grand Wayne Center for example. We want our design manual to maintain architectural diversity while encouraging features we know Fort Wayne residents appreciate and want to see more of,” Mayor Henry said.

The survey, taken by 693 people, had respondents evaluate building materials, signage, sidewalks, windows and other design elements of buildings and public spaces. Respondents could also indicate if the feature should be encouraged or required. A full summary of the responses is available at www.cityoffortwayne.org/designsurvey.

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The Good City is a Fort Wayne, Indiana, web site about market-driven urbanism and community, Complete Streets and pedestrian-friendly cityscapes, neighborhoods and Third Places, site plans and human-scaled architecture.